Tues Tips & Trends

by

The do as I say and not as I do edition.

First? the do as I say (and as I do):

This week’s tip is about your head (and no, not the stuff which grows out of it. we’ve previously established that Im all kinds of jealous of this blogger’s hair).

Brain fitness.

Staying mentally fit so that we (they royal) can think more clearly in stressful situations and remember things better in general (MizFit is all about the brain fitness for this reason).

In the long term a fit brain is thought to help prevent illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimers.

Thankfully it’s as easy as the acronym B.R.A.I.N to keep your head young even though your bod (*sigh*) may be aging (well, easy now that Ive created said acronym. my brain hurt whilst attempting to generate):

Be positive. Start by practicing turning your negative thoughts (“I hate the morning traffic”) into positive ones (“I love listening to music during my commute”) until that becomes your default mindset.

Remain active. Now when you’re tempted to skip a workout remind yourself it’s not just about looking good today but cruising cognitively sharp into your twilight years.

Add in new experiences and don’t become complacent. Try a new hobby! Drive a DIFFERENT way home from work! Learn a second or third language! Stuck for exercise ideas? This blogger is ALWAYS filled with fab suggestions.

Interact. In the era of the internet we aren’t the social creatures we used to be. Studies have shown that married people and people with a network of friends live longer. This social network is exercise for your brain, too.

Nutrition. Most important is to eat a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These are viewed as essential fatty acids yet, ironically, ones which cannot be manufactured by our body. Cold water fish (tuna, salmon, mackerel, and sardines are a few examples) and flax seeds are two easy ways to add this good fat into your diet. Avocados are also good brain food. This fruit, packed with healthy fat, actually helps to stimulate flow of blood to the brain.

Obviously this is the short version of a topic about which I could yammer forever.

MizFits? Any other crucial brain-tips Ive failed to include?

In a READ AS I SAY AND AS I READ I have another Experience Life Magazine subscription to give away!

How generous is that, People?! I knew I loved them and now it’s not just the food preparation (tv show anyone?).

This subscription could be yours for the price of a comment below and, as a show of appreciation, dont forget to clickclickclick over to their online version or visit their (always good for a learn & a laugh) blogs.

The not as I (tat)do portion of our post?

Voila:


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Comments

  1. wow! now that’s what I call a tattoo!

    I think you should add an “s” to the end of BRAIN for “sleep”! Studies have shown that proper rest is not only good for your body, but also helps with memory functions.

    PS…I would looooooooooove Experience Life as a graduation present…just saying 😉

  2. Ooooh.

    I’d say:

    ‘fantastic point about the sleep. Restorative rest is crucial for our brains AND to allow our bodies to repair and *grow* the metabolism boosting muscle for which we all strive’

    —-but I’m too (thanks to the Toddler Tornado) tired to thumbtype anything tremendously coherent.

    😉

    M.

  3. Wow Carla, that’s some tattoo! Did you design it yourself? Did it hurrrrrrt?

    Thanks for your BRAIN recommendations…my grandmother died last year of Alzheimer’s and my other one has Parkinson’s and I’m always trying to gently coax my parents into a healthier lifestyle but to no avail! They seem to think that once you reach a certain age that if it’s not one thing it’ll be another and are rather shortsighted about their health, sigh.

  4. (I did. And it did. I’m NOT a fan of the pain but love the end result. And, of course, there’s a story behind it.)

    I know what made ME start thinking about brain fitness was trying to play the piano after 15 years of NOT.

    (Next week’s theme is THERE’S NO TRYING. ONLY DOING. With regards to my piano’ing? There really was ONLY trying!)

    It quite literallycompletely made my brain ache when I attempted to play with both hands.

    It was my AH HA! moment of the fact I have lots of UNchallenged pathways in my brain which, if I continue on my happy way, will merely die-off from lack o’use.

    M.

  5. (I think I know how to fix the comments but am NOT MESSING with it this morning 🙂 off to don my workermamabandanna and start the day)

  6. Love your “attitude” one – that’s something I’ve really worked on changing the past few years. I do think it’s made a big difference! And hey – an entire paragraph on omega-3s and not one mention of chia??? 😉

    Wow, that is some tattoo! Now, I’m dying to hear the story behind it!

  7. (Please to note I shall be beating the chia to death next week if my recipe tests go as planned)

  8. Love the tattoo!!

    BRAIN is excellent–especially the B and the A. I read somewhere that 90% of our thoughts are negative–that’s so insane! It’s really important to catch ourselves in the act and turn those downers into uppers (of the non pharmacological variety, of course). And the A is important too–it’s all too easy to get stuck in a rut as we get older. A little variety really keeps you on your toes.

    Put me in the subscription drawing, please!! (I noticed the article “Yes, You can do a pull-up” on the magazine’s home page. Must read it!!)

  10. I’m thinking even Ami would be impressed by that. Whoa.

    I love the BRAIN thing. I actually have spent a lot of time thinking about this lately. And taking action. I think it’s so important to keep ourselves interesting – I found I was boring myself at times. I like the ‘A’ – add in new experiences. I’ve recently taken up an new/old hobby, tried new exercise classes and just in general tried to LIVE a little more. There’s no reason to sit around waiting for next week or next year. Thanks for a good post! (as usual ;))

  11. Oh Ami.
    How I HEART ye.
    Your full sleeves.
    Your kick ass fitness routine in addition to a fullworkload.
    Your barely under the surface anger 😉
    Your being a fellow tribemember.

    Love.

    M.

  12. Great post, MF! Love the BRAIN acronym….
    The tat made me cringe – ouch!
    You play the piano?! I used to, too, but don’t have access to one now…sob.

  13. Is that your tat, MizFit? Very nice. Where did you get it done? I had some work done at Atomic Tattoo on Burnet Rd. a few years back. I don’t think they were very good – had to go and have the thing recolored later in Houston.

    But back to your big ol’ BRAIN. “R” could also stand for RELAX. I’m a much happier, healthier person when I let myself relax once in a while. I don’t just mean by pooping out on the couch, sometimes relaxation is active: yoga, walking, swimming… in fact, I enjoy exercise more by letting myself have slow, controlled sessions. Then there’s the laying-down-doing-nothing bit of yoga that’s ultra relaxing. It all helps me keep my mind in the moment instead of constantly worrying about what I have to do next. (Am I the only one who does this? Maybe I’m just a psycho!)

  15. I love the acronym! I’ve trying to consciously focus on being more positive lately — like appreciating the quiet cuddle time I got to have with them separately while my toddlers were sick this past weekend… ;o)

  16. Thank you for the comment on my blog.

    I love the acronym as well and am going to print it out to share!

    How wonderful that avocados are good for you – yummm!!

  18. Muy excellente, you Guatemama you! (I have no idea if I spelled any of that right b/c this Guatemama lacks the Spanish skillz…so I generally end up with a nice English/French combo spelling.)

  20. Such an awesome tattoo!

    Brain fitness is so important. And I can’t choose a favourite one of them. I loves them all. Staying mentally fit is so crucial to overall happiness, methinks.

  22. I love me a good tattoo so its nice to see more ladies with ink. I am also a super fan of ripped chicks with sleeves, swoon. Still love that magazine, wish it was on a newsstand near me!

  23. Wow! Now that’s a tatoo. I couldn’t even get laser hair removal on my underarms – there’s no way I could get a tatoo. I’d have a little squiggly line and ink all over my arm from where I ran away squealing in pain!

    Love me some brain food!

  25. I’ve definitely tried to have a more positive outlook and I’ve noticed how it is like everything else — practice makes perfect.

    Would love the subscription…

  27. I’ve been a lurker of your blog for quite some time, and I wanted to thank you for introducing me to Experience Life magazine! I’ve gone to their site and read several of their articles. What a balanced approach to nutrition, health, and fitness!

    Oh, and love the tattoo. 😉

  29. Waiting to hear the tattoo story…
    Love the BRAIN reminder. I need to work on some of those, especially “A”.
    I get Experience Life and am glad somebody else will be enjoying it!

  30. Excellent tattoo! I myself keep debating getting one, but have yet to bite the bullet.

    BRAIN – very nicely put! Keeping our minds exercised is just as important (probably more so!) than our bodies. I fear that Alzheimer’s runs in my Dad’s side of the family, but I also realize that as that group aged, they became less and less active in all aspects of life. My Mom’s family, on the other hand, are the most active people ever; my 96 year old great aunt has a better memory than I do!

  31. (Im not a role model. in anything but DEFINITELY with regards to tattoo restraint)

    WG? yep it’s on me. but you cant/one cant see it even in shorts.

    Gena?

    My dad’s side of the family is like your mom’s.

    My Grandma passed away at 101 and only started to lose her brain fitness the last few years.
    NOTHING motivates me to stay fit like the desire to cruise cognitively sharp into my senior years!

    M.

  33. LOVE the Tatoo, makes me want another one! Thanks for the BRAIN post 🙂 I am going to check out Experience Life magazine right now!!

  34. I want a subscription! Me, me, me! I obviously read too many fitness magazines that make me feel bad about myself, so I need something that will make me feel GOOD about myself instead! 🙂

  35. Great tips, unbelievable tattoo!! Great giveaway…just discovered your blog and I really like it.

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